FEATURED ARTICLES ABOUT JOHN WILLIAMSON - PAGE 5

HAGERSTOWN -- Craig Paving Inc. will build a track that could be sanctioned for college-level events at North Hagerstown High School, Washington County Public Schools Deputy Superintendent Boyd Michael announced Thursday. The track will be built to specifications that would allow it to be used for college-level events. The agreement was announced hours before the Washington County Board of Education was scheduled to consider bids from another company to repair the track. At $310,360, Craig Paving's contract to build the track is less than half the amount that Finley Asphalt & Sealing bid for the project.

The Washington County Sports Hall of Fame presented civic awards at its 21st annual awards banquet Saturday night at the Clarion Inn on Dual Highway in Hagerstown. The recipients were: Volunteer of the Year The Mike Callas Stadium at North High Committee The Mike Callas Stadium at North High Committee was organized in the winter of 2002, although groundwork for this undertaking began many years before. The committee operates as a part of the North Hagerstown Athletic Boosters Club.

julieg@herald-mail.com Whether it's a small county fair, a Canadian bar, a casino or a theater, David Lee Murphy and his band like to "rock hard" no matter where they play, he said during a recent telephone interview from his farm outside Nashville, Tenn. Murphy, who said he plays country rock or "really rockin' country," describes their performances as "rowdy, rockin', high energy. It's a big party. " "We really enjoy the crowd being part of the show. When everyone's sitting down being good, it's not nearly as fun for us. Watching, being polite, paying attention is not as much fun (as)

Brittany Jones, 17, of Hagerstown, bought her first car before she had a license. "I only paid $1,000 for it," she said, of her '95 Honda Civic, which she purchased last year and later painted a sparkly Kermit-the-Frog green. For Brittany and her fellow teens of driving age, getting that first car signifies the steady path toward independence. She can make her own schedule. "You don't have to ask for every single thing," Brittany said. "I don't have to worry about being late unless it's my own fault.

A thank you to those who contributed to the North Hagerstown High School Stadium project. Greg Slick: For keeping the dream alive. Robert "Bo" Myers, Principal: For organizing a winning team. Valerie Novak, Principal: For working with the stadium through the building process. John Williamson and Rick Hill: For serving as chairmen of the stadium committee and for providing outstanding leadership. Your guidance has led to the successful completion of the Mike Callas Stadium.

HAGERSTOWN -- Building an NCAA-approved track at North Hagerstown High School could cost more than $850,000 - $100,000 more than previous estimates. Finley Asphalt & Sealing of Manassas Park, Va., submitted a bid of $773,630 to build a high school track, and $855,194 for a more advanced track. The higher price would buy a track that could be approved for NCAA events. Finley Asphalt & Sealing was the only company to bid on the work. The bids include tearing up portions of the existing track and building a new one. They also include the possibility of spending another $105,000 to replace a perimeter trench drain, or receiving a $30,000 credit if stone base already in the track can be used.

Victories are like people. They come in all shapes and sizes. They can be public or private. And each is special in its own way. While people vary, though, there are only two types of victories in sports - quantity and quality. Quantity victories are the ones that get the most ink. They are the scores, the records, the points and the yardage. There are rankings, polls and odds. There are the numerical chases for cups, records and history. They are the wins remembered for days, weeks and years around water coolers and at corner bars.

When Mike Callas publically announced he would be the honorary campaign chairman for the stadium project in May 2004, he told the committee "perseverance overcomes everything. " This quote is on the plaque below the bust of Mike in front of the North Hagerstown High School stadium. In 2004, the stadium committee did not fully appreciate the wisdom of his words. We do now. As a member of the Mike Callas Stadium committee and its former chairman, I would like to provide a different perspective than what has recently been reported and editorialized on in The Herald-Mail.

FREDERICK, Md. - Many Hagerstown-area residents would probably recognize Rick Hill's face or name from his leadership in getting Mike Callas Stadium built at North Hagerstown High School. What many don't know is, in addition to supporting his children's high school and rooting for Hub sports, Hill has rubbed elbows with Donald Trump and John Daly and he has been featured on golfer Natalie Gulbis' reality TV show. He wasn't alone. Hill, who owns custom-bike builder Metropolitan Choppers south of Frederick, was often accompanied on these trips by his shop manager and chief bike builder, Smithsburg resident Dan Kessinger, aka "Big Dan. " "It's just been a ride, the places that we've gone and people we've seen," said Hill, 45. "Rick's a wonderful guy," said John Williamson, whom Hill joined to co-chair the stadium committee.

Holiday house tour: The homes see also: Holiday house tour 1. 425 Potomac St., Hagerstown Home of Ginger and David Pembroke This Queen-Anne-style house with Second Empire and Colonial influences was built around 1880. It is part of a historic district. The Pembrokes have redone the entire house. The projects they're undertaking now are re-establishing the front sidewalk, converting a small closet under the main stairway into a powder room and doing the landscaping.